Coatesville won't release officer severance deal

COATESVILLE — The city denied a Right-To-Know request asking for legal documentation concerning a recent severance agreement with a former city police officer.

In a letter sent to the Daily Local News, open records officer Ruthann Mowday said the request could not be granted due to information contained in the documents related to “grievance” materials and a non-criminal investigation.

“Please be advised that although settlement agreements normally constitute items provided in response to such a request, your request has been denied due to the intermingling of private confidential “grievance” materials and items obtained as a result of a non-criminal investigation such that this protected information cannot be separated from the body of the Settlement Agreement in any meaningful manner,” Mowday wrote.

The Daily Local News submitted a Right to Know request on Jan. 10 in hopes of obtaining legal documents containing financial figures related to severance of former Coatesville Police Department Sgt. Chris McEvoy.

McEvoy, who had a closed termination hearing in late November, spent about 15 months on paid leave, at taxpayer expense, while he was under investigation for an alleged sexual relationship with a subordinate officer.

In late January the city sent an initial letter notifying the Daily Local News that more time was necessary to review the request. In that letter, dated Jan. 15, Mowday stated a review of various city records were needed to fufill the request.

In the most recent letter, Mowday listed several legal reasons why the request could not be fufilled, including that the Settlement Agreement contains “written criticisms of an employee” and that “the information sought is of a the nature of an opinion as to conduct of Sergeant McEvoy and cannot be released.”